Tag: Relationship Marketing

#CustomerGratitude – How to Show Your Clients Gratitude in Social Media

November is definitely gratitude season and while we always remember to showcase our gratefulness to our friends and family, don’t miss the opportunity to use this time of year to show your clients you appreciate them as well! When it comes to your social media marketing, showing client appreciation is both simple and impactful. Most businesses only send a holiday card (at best) this time of year so going above and beyond by talking about your clients on social media can really be a stand out way to nurture those relationships

Give Them a Shout Out!

Perhaps the easiest way to show gratitude for your clients on social is simply by giving them a shout out in your feeds. Feature them, talk about them, share their work with your audience – all of these are effective ways of demonstrating that you not only care about them as a client, but that you believe in what they do! Make sure you tag or mention them on your platforms so they get notified (plus your post will show up in their social media feed as well).

Engage with Their Content

If you aren’t doing this already, take some time to like and comment on their social media posts. Even better, share some of their best content with your audience as well. People tend to focus only on what pops up in their own feeds, but if your client’s content isn’t showing up – search for them and spend a few minutes each week engaging with them online. This is a great practice to start and then keep doing all year long. Both of your businesses will benefit from the social engagement exchange.

Share Their Offers

Businesses are scrambling to put together their Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday deals right now. Show them you care by sharing their offers, deals and discounts with your people. Don’t forget to mention why you love their product or service!

Collaborate

Get creative and find a way to team up and collaborate on a project or a discount this holiday season. This is especially useful if your target markets are similar but can be a great way to get in front of each other’s audiences even if they aren’t. A public team up could greatly benefit both brands when the campaign is thoughtfully created.

As you can see, it costs nothing but a little time to show your clients love on social media this time of year. Client appreciation is a huge part of relationship marketing and building and growing your network and client list. We know you are grateful for each of your clients and now’s the time to show them!

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#GrowYourBusiness – The Difference Between Relationship Marketing & Lead Generation in Social Media

Relationship marketing and lead generation are both highly successful social media strategies. And while both typically require an email address to sign up, that’s where the similarities end.

Relationship Marketing

Relationship marketing focuses on building customer loyalty and long-term engagement rather than shorter-term goals, like increasing individual sales. The goal of relationship marketing is to build strong connections between brand and audience that might lead to ongoing business and future referrals.

Strategy often involves the use of “direct response” campaigns that emphasize customer retention and satisfaction. This type of marketing strategy creates a bond with the customer through narrow market targeting, tailors offers to their customers, and usually demands a response that can be tracked by the marketing team. This typically requires an email address so that the company can contact the individual directly for exclusive offers, maintenance follow-ups, and unconverted leads. Relationship marketing is about the long-term value of a loyal customer and the connection that can be built beyond typical ads and generic sales promotions.

Value of Relationship Marketing

Acquiring new customers on a regular basis can be both challenging and costly. Relationship marketing helps alleviate that problem by creating long-term customer relationships that result in repeat sales (and often word-of-mouth referrals).

In addition, customers tend to have a higher lifetime value, a higher level of satisfaction, and greater brand recognition. Plus, brands spend less on marketing and advertising over the long term, as “buzz marketing” (or customers talking about your product) does the work for you.

Keep in mind, however, that the cost of acquisition can be steep in the beginning – in both time and money. Additionally, networking, which is not everyone’s cup of tea, is central to developing these long-lasting relationships.

Lead Generation

Lead generation is almost the polar opposite of relationship marketing. It focuses much less on building long-lasting relationships and instead aims to gain as many potential new customers as possible (and fast!)

Results are typically accomplished through newsletter sign-ups, opt-ins, giveaways, special events, and so on. Like relationship marketing, an email is usually required to turn leads into customers.

Value of Lead Generation

Lead generation allows you to create a huge amount of traffic to your business’s website, which will hopefully result in a higher conversion rate. A good lead generation strategy creates several different campaigns, targeting a different audience with each one. This ensures that your message gets seen by a variety of different prospects and each one will see your products as something that they “need.”

The end result? A fast-growing email list, customers that are genuinely interested in your product, and easy marketing.

Unfortunately, lead generation often comes with a high turnover rate and (sometimes) a sleazy, used-car-salesman sort of vibe.

Bottom line?

Relationship marketing and lead generation go together like peas and carrots. They both have pros and cons, but together they create an unbeatable marketing strategy.

The team here at The Social Media Advisor can help train your staff on the value of online lead generation and prospecting. If you’d like to take your company’s social media game to the next level, reach out today to learn more about our Social Power Program.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#RelationshipsMatter – What is Relationship Marketing in Social Media?

While you may not realize it, as a business owner you rely heavily on relationship marketing. Every time you provide customer service or work to improve repeat business, you are using the concepts behind this popular type of business development. Instead of looking for short-term results, relationship marketing focuses on long-term interactions with your customers and clients.

At first thought, it may seem that social media is too transitory and ad hoc to help build and strengthen relationships, but think again. The truth is, social media is an ideal tool for incorporating relationship marketing into your strategy. Below are four of the most effective ways social media can be effective for relationship marketing.

Customer Service

For many businesses, social media is an excellent tool for providing quick and responsive customer service. The key is to be consistent and prompt. Effective customer service responses let your community know that you can be depended upon and that you’ll be there when they need you. Even better, the tool is interactive so you can really connect.

Customer Retention

Social media is all about engagement. When you engage with your customers, you get to know them better and engender trust. When your customers trust you, they continue to come back. When your followers share your content, it is almost as good as providing a testimonial.

Building Referrals

There is nothing quite like word-of-mouth advertising to help you build or grow your business. By working with your community, you can engender an environment that creates advocates. Nothing is much better than that.

Strengthening Relationships (partners and influencers) Employees

Relationship marketing is all about developing long term relationships rather than focusing on closing an individual sale or converting a single lead. That applies not just to your customers, but to your employees, partners, and influencers as well. Social media is that perfect tool for communicating, sharing, and interacting with all the people in your circle.

Social media is a great tool for making all kinds of connections, both transactional and long term. To be effective, your overall strategy should include both. If you’re not sure how to get started or you need a tune-up, this is the perfect time to take advantage of the Social Media Advisor’s social media analysis. That way you can get an objective look and detailed review of your social media presence. Now is the perfect time to get started.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#RelationshipsMatter – How Does Social Proof Build Your Tribe?

When it comes to social media, there are lots of new and exciting terms out there. One relatively new term is social proof. You may not be familiar with the words, but you are familiar with the concept; think product endorsements, establishing authority, and word-of-mouth advertising. When it comes down to it, that’s all social proof is and it can help you build and expand your tribe. In fact, your tribe can also help you build your social proof.

Of course, people turn to you and what you post for a number of different reasons. For some, it’s about your product or services. For others, it’s about getting the opinion of a trusted authority. Also, there are those that it’s just because they like you or are your friend. While that all may sound pretty complicated, it really all boils down to social proof—people sharing information they like because it comes from someone they know and admire.

Marketers have known for a long time that having a good reputation and a strong brand can help you get sales. That’s why they depend heavily on product endorsements and positive customer reviews in advertising. The same is true for social media. When you gain a reputation for credibility and consistency, the people in your network come to trust you. Because they trust you, they trust your content, and they pass that content along to other people. And so it goes. That’s what engagement is, sharing, commenting, and reaching out.

So how can you use social proof to expand your reach and increase the number of people in your circle? There are lots of ways. Testimonials, case studies, personnel profiles, and telling stories can all work to improve your credibility and help people trust you. The same is true for the everyday interactions you have with the people in your social network world. The point is to involve the people you connect with in your everyday social media life. In short, strengthen your relationship with them. In turn, they will get the word out about you and your products and services.

When it comes to social media reach, you can never have too many people in your tribe. When you improve your social proof and cement your credibility, you’ll grow. The trouble is, it’s hard to do it on your own. The Social Media Advisor can help you get off on the right foot with a comprehensive social media analysis. They can help you grow both your tribe and the connections you have with the people who are already involved. Now is a great time to get started!

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

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